Blah, Blah, Blah

September 29, 2009 · Filed Under Take a Break · Comments Off 

When you read your email, do you ever feel as if you are the sole person in the middle of a used-car lot with 5 minutes to go before closing time and a “used car salesman quota of the month” is on the line?

I do.

Warning!  This is just a rant.  And probably an unprofessional one at that…there’s really no good content here well, actually, I did add some videos and links at the end that you might like…I just felt the need to vent a little bit because I can’t believe what some people call “marketing” these days.

Here’s just a snippet of what I get Every.Single.Day…

  • RE: Commissions (oh, please – what an underhanded way to get me to open your email).
  • Earlybird Launch Special – Limited Offer! (Honestly, we all know that technically anything that’s available online for download cannot by its own nature, be “limited”.)
  • Earn $5,000 a month without selling a thing! (LOL!!!)
  • This (homeless, out-of-work, suicidal, non-educated, guy/gal) made $100,000 in 30 days!  Here’s how! (I’m resisting a gag reflex right now).
  • Video shows you how to make $3,000 a week while you sleep! (5 marketers)
  • Make ($enter dollar amount here) whenever you want!
  • Private Video (yeah, for me and 50,000 other people).  [by the way I got this same email from 2 marketers (and counting)]
  • Make $enter odd dollar number here (with odd dollar cents) too – with this “undiscovered” technique!
  • “Here comes the cash”

So why, you might be wondering, if these bother me so much, do I get them in the first place, are these “marketers” spamming me?

Nope.  I signed up for their lists…not much of a marketer I would be if I didn’t keep tabs on “competition” – (tongue in cheek).

It makes me sad really, that there’s so much of this hype hitting people every single day.  It must work right?  I mean some of these headlines (and some have been altered just a bit; not to change their meaning but to protect where they actually came from), are truly outrageous!

I mean honestly, if you walked into a store and an employee there walked up to you and said “Make $10,000 by the end of the week!” what would your reaction be?

Would you believe them?

I wouldn’t…I don’t think any logical, reasonable human being would.

But…sometimes we forget that logic when we’re online.  People have a hard time separating fact from fiction when it comes to websites.  Why do you think that is?

Is it because they have testimonial A, B, C, and D from big name A, B, C, and D on their website?

Or is it because there’s a picture of a check shown that shows “proof” the person made a gabillion dollars last year with (_________________) enter the name of a online info-retailer here.

The fact is a lot of us tend to let our guard down when it comes to websites and “claims” and its sad really.

“Real” businesses take a lot of hard work and a LOT of dedication.  Just because it worked for Joe Smith doesn’t mean it will work for Jane Smith.

Do some of these products work?  Sure they do!  As a matter of fact, I can name off at least 5 people online that I would trust without a doubt (and by the way, none of them sent me any of those emails).

So, I thought I’d share some of my favorite “reality check” websites online.  These are people who, maybe like you, are trying their hardest to start a business, they pour their life savings into a business and even then, don’t start to reap positive cash rewards for at least a year or two.  If they’re lucky.

In real-life, just like in SEO, everything takes time.  Most people don’t have the patience; they want everything “RIGHT NOW!” and don’t want to have to work for it very much.

I guess that’s why all of those headlines hit a button with someone out there somewhere.

It’s sad really.

So, here’s a few things I’d like to share…one is a video from Sylvie Fortin.  You may very well be familiar with her husband, the copywriter Michel Fortin (one of the “good guys” “good couples” I like to call them) who has been recently very outspoken against some of the tactics used to “entice” people to hand over their hard-earned cash.

The other links below her video point to some “lets get back to reality” shows I like that I think you might too.

Thanks for listening (reading) the rant.  I have my moments.

- K

Sylvie’s video:

Other links/videos:

This first video is a series of clips from the ABC Show “Shark Tank”.  You have to sit through about 50 seconds of ads first to view segments of the show…but well worth it to keep you well-grounded.

http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank


The tv show Pitchmen with the late Billy Mays – http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/pitchmen/pitchmen.html


And these are just a few…I’d be interested in hearing your basis for inspiration…so feel free to chime in (or gripe)…that’s ok here too…but please, no foul language.

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